power outages
- Thread starter MuShu
- Start date
scooter31707
New member
I 4 battery powered operate air pumps that I put on the tank and I also every 30 minutes take a pitcher and scoop water into it and pour it make into the tank, just to move around some water. Depending on how long, I may do a water change.
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
I bought a generator just for my tank incase of a power outage.
motocrf450176
New member
I use a small Honda inverter generator. Inverters are great for sensitive electronics, plus they are quieter and more efficient to run.
Sat around for 9 hours two weekends ago after our transformer caught fire in our backyard!!
Sat around for 9 hours two weekends ago after our transformer caught fire in our backyard!!
Above all, a generator. 150,000 people in my city were without power for 8 days last winter, due to a 10 minute windstorm.
If you don't overstock, your tank should be good for 8 hours with no circulation.
There are also battery-powered air pumps by Plax, which you can get from Petco or Amazon. Keep a couple, with batteries, on hand.
Don't worry about dropping temperatures: I got my tank through the 8 day blackout without a generator by 1. letting temperature ride at 61.8, which slowed chemical processes, including decay from inverts I did lose. 2. getting up on a chair every 4 hours and dipping and pouring water in to sub for the batteried bubblers I DIDN"T have. You pour from a gallon pitcher enough water to total your tank volume. Maintaining the room temperature was the hardest battle. We lived in one room with insulated curtains on the windows and sheets hung in doorways...
Get a generator. Spendy, but so much easier.
If you don't overstock, your tank should be good for 8 hours with no circulation.
There are also battery-powered air pumps by Plax, which you can get from Petco or Amazon. Keep a couple, with batteries, on hand.
Don't worry about dropping temperatures: I got my tank through the 8 day blackout without a generator by 1. letting temperature ride at 61.8, which slowed chemical processes, including decay from inverts I did lose. 2. getting up on a chair every 4 hours and dipping and pouring water in to sub for the batteried bubblers I DIDN"T have. You pour from a gallon pitcher enough water to total your tank volume. Maintaining the room temperature was the hardest battle. We lived in one room with insulated curtains on the windows and sheets hung in doorways...
Get a generator. Spendy, but so much easier.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Think about it this way, a generator just for you aquarium will cost $300 for a small one to $600 for a 5000 watt version. If you have a long power outage. We were without power for 10 days after hurricane Charlie. So how much will you lose in corals, fish and inverts? In my case that would be $2000 minimum and maybe as much as $4000. So a $450 generator was a no brainer and it's been used 4 or 5 times due to power outages. Even if everything will be OK after a 3 or 4 hour power outage, it's so much less stressful when you can wait an hour or two and then say,"Well, I don't know how much longer this will last, so lets fire up the generator."
Reef Frog
New member
YOU PROBABLY ALREADY OWN 9/10th of a GENERATOR
YOU PROBABLY ALREADY OWN 9/10th of a GENERATOR
Can an extension cord reach from your vehicle or lawn tractor etc to your aquarium? If so, you are only about $50 away from having a suitable generator to run all the circulation you'll ever need during a power outage. And probably enough hearing or cooling if you need it - even lighting.
It's called an AC inverter and with any vehicle with a 12 volt electrical system & an extension cord you're in business. you can get one at Wally World or virtually any auto parts store so this is an option for last minute procrastinators as they watch a hurricane move up the coast. Sometimes an AC inverter is a built in feature on heavy duty jump boxes that many motor heads might already own. They can be hooked up and put into service in minutes and with a full tank of gas can run for a long time.
This has saved me several times. I have a 500 watt & 300 watt unit on the shelf that can run enough heat to keep my tank alive on the coldest winter day or my chiller during a heat wave, every pump I own and even run my T5 lights. I also have a battery back up for my Vortext MP40 which should provide 24-36 hours of operation automatically.
For me, this is the next best thing to having a generator. Of course if I'm not around I need to recruit someone to hook up my second vehicle or tractor and keep it fueled. So if you can't swing a proper generator this is the next best option IMO. But you have to have or be able to get a vehicle close enough to the your home to run an extension cord to it and your tank - so this may not work for apartment dwellers and some urban living situations. Be prepared.
YOU PROBABLY ALREADY OWN 9/10th of a GENERATOR
Can an extension cord reach from your vehicle or lawn tractor etc to your aquarium? If so, you are only about $50 away from having a suitable generator to run all the circulation you'll ever need during a power outage. And probably enough hearing or cooling if you need it - even lighting.
It's called an AC inverter and with any vehicle with a 12 volt electrical system & an extension cord you're in business. you can get one at Wally World or virtually any auto parts store so this is an option for last minute procrastinators as they watch a hurricane move up the coast. Sometimes an AC inverter is a built in feature on heavy duty jump boxes that many motor heads might already own. They can be hooked up and put into service in minutes and with a full tank of gas can run for a long time.
This has saved me several times. I have a 500 watt & 300 watt unit on the shelf that can run enough heat to keep my tank alive on the coldest winter day or my chiller during a heat wave, every pump I own and even run my T5 lights. I also have a battery back up for my Vortext MP40 which should provide 24-36 hours of operation automatically.
For me, this is the next best thing to having a generator. Of course if I'm not around I need to recruit someone to hook up my second vehicle or tractor and keep it fueled. So if you can't swing a proper generator this is the next best option IMO. But you have to have or be able to get a vehicle close enough to the your home to run an extension cord to it and your tank - so this may not work for apartment dwellers and some urban living situations. Be prepared.
StrangeDejavu
Member
I have a battery operated air pump that automatically detects a power outage and immediately turns on, $15 on Amazon. I also have the VorTech battery backup for my MP10. If i'm out of town, on vacation or at work during an outage, I have peace of mind knowing I have about 3 days worth of oxygenation and flow. I also have a generator for the longer outages and when i'm home.
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